'The Voice' Judge Will.I.Am 'Blasted For Texting Live On Air'

Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am has reportedly been warned by television bosses for sending text messages and tweets during a live broadcast of The Voice.

The rapper smuggled his phone into the studio on Saturday and producers are said to have screamed into his earpiece telling him to stop using the device as he risked being spotted by the show's 9.3m viewers.

However, the star allegedly ignored bosses and continued to send messages during the show.

And Will was given a dressing down by the programme's floor manager who claimed he was "rude" and "unprofessional".

The star later apologised to fans, some of whom thought he was ignoring the performers.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote: "Thank you everyone who watched #thevoiceuk tonight...if you saw me on my phone I wasn't being rude...I was connecting to people watching."

Will's involvement in the programme has already caused controversy - he was recently criticised for the amount of time he spent with his acts.

The star allegedly saw his singers for just 30 minutes last week before jetting off to the US.
However, the musician insists he prefers to chat with and guide the performers rather than rehearse with them.